Hibernating Evil
by MorningStar137
Summary: Jeremy Fitzgerald is in a tight spot. He had just been kicked out of his old job, for reasons he still is unsure of. The day later, he gets a phone call from someone who needs someone to fill in the spot of night guard at Fazbear's Fright. What could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

About a week ago, I accepted a job at a really seedy restaurant slash horror attraction. I had gotten a call about a job offer at a place called… uhm, Fazbear's Fright. Corny, right?

Anyways, back to my story.

I was sitting in my apartment building on a Sunday night, wondering what I was going to do. I had been fired from my last job. I had been working at another restaurant, but a new person decided that he'd like to take my place. The restaurant decided that he was more qualified for the job, or something (I have a feeling it's because of my long hair).

As I was contemplating my options, my phone rang. I had thrown it down next to the door, next to my coat in a fit of rage when I had been 'formally dismissed' from my job.

I picked up the phone, and a somewhat flustered voice answered on the other side. "Um, hey? Is anyone there?" He sounded to be in his late teens.

"Hello," I replied warily. I didn't recognize the caller ID, but anything to take my mind off my troubles was welcome.

"Ah," he sounded relieved. "Is someone named Jeremy Fitzgerald in the vicinity?"

"Um, that would be me," I replied. How did this guy know my name? Was he a stalker or something?

'Little did I know that I'd be facing things much worse than a 'stalker' in no less than two days.'

"Oh, thank goodness. Is it true that you have lost a job? Are you looking for a new one?" he implored. Was it his business? I thought angrily. I voiced this. He seemed glad I asked. "Well, we have a position open for you, if you would take it." He sounded a bit desperate.

At the moment, it seemed like that was a good idea. Then, I got suspicious. "Why do you want someone in this 'position' so badly? Where are you?" I used air quotations, even though I knew he couldn't see them.

"Man, I work at a place called Fazbear's Fright. We, uh, need a night guard, and you seem good enough for the job."

I considered this. There really was nowhere else he could go, so he heaved a deep sigh and said, "Okay. Where is 'Fazbear's Fright?' And what are my hours?"

The guy on the other side of the phone sounded relieved. He gave me an address, and I started. That wasn't too far from my house! Huh. "Oh, and for the hours, you have to work from twelve AM to six AM. Um, I know that sounds bad, but it's honestly not. You can surf the internet or whatever, just keep an eye on the camera - you know, for robbers or late-night adventurers. Heh."

I had problems with the hours, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Okay! Um, Thank you so much for accepting this position!" He suddenly hung up. I wondered why he was thanking me for taking a job. I chose not to give it too much thought.

Now sufficiently relieved, I stumbled to my bedroom and collapsed onto my bed, energy suddenly drained.

I slept the deepest sleep that I had in a long while.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

The next day, I had the whole day to myself while I waited for eleven thirty at night. I spent most of my time watching Youtube and resting on my couch. I was thoroughly enjoying my free time. Why haven't I gotten a night shift sooner? Oh, yeah. It's because I'd have no time to sleep . Oh, well. I'd deal with that problem when it presented itself.

Noon eventually comes around, and I decide to visit one of my friends who would be on his lunch break.

I climb into my car, wincing at how it creaked around me. It was an old model, from 2015. It felt like it was about to fall apart at any second.

Soon, I had gotten to the office where his friend worked. I parked his car in the parking deck close by and briskly walked to the door. I knew which floor and where my friend worked, so it didn't take long for me to arrive at his room.

He was sitting in the far corner, about to dig into a sandwich that he had brought. I also had food, but it was just an apple. I wasn't really hungry after all of those cheetos I had ingested throughout the day.

I plopped next to him, and my friend looked up, surprised. I hadn't warned him that I would be coming. "Hey, Ben," I said.

His blue eyes went wide. "Hi, Jeremy!" he replied after a moment's pause. "Why aren't you at work?" he asked, bewildered.

I placed a hand over my heart in mock offence. "What, no 'How are you doing?'" Ben laughed and pushed my shoulder.

"So," he said through another bite of his lunch. "Why are you not at work?"

"I got fired," I said simply.

Ben nearly choked. "Say what? Dude, why aren't you job hunting?"

"Ah, my friend, that's where my infamous luck comes in." Ben raised his eyebrows and gestured for him to continue. "The night I lost my job, I got a call from a new restaurant that needed a night guard."

Ben looked impressed. "Wow, that's something else." Then he looked dubious. "Um, what restaurant is this, exactly?" he asked.

I wrinkled my nose. "Some place called 'Fazbear's Fright.'"

Ben seemed shocked for a second. "Hey bro," he said faintly.

"Yeah?"

"You know what reputation that place has, right?" His face had drained completely of color, which was impressive, since he had really tan skin.

I shook my head no. Now I was beginning to feel a bit scared. What had I signed up for? "I've never even heard of it before last night." Did it have a reputation for drugs or something? Bad food?

Ben leaned his head in one of his hands. "I really can't explain it. I have to look it up - yeah." He swivelled around to face his computer and quickly typed something into the Google search bar.

He pointed to the screen, where a news article was splashed across the screen.

Kids Vanish at Local Pizzeria - Bodies not found.

Two local children were reportedly lured into a back room during the late hours of operation at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza on the night of June 26th. While video surveillance identified the man responsible and led to his capture the following morning, the children themselves were never found and are presumed dead.

Police think that the suspect dressed as a company mascot to earn the children's trust.

I was horrified. "That's terrible!"

Ben looked at me gravely. "That's not the worst part." He scrolled down, and I saw more news clippings.

Five Children Now Reported Missing. Suspect Convicted.

Five children are now linked to the incident at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where a man dressed as a cartoon mascot lured them into a back room.

While the suspect has been charged, the bodies themselves were never found.

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been fighting an uphill battle ever since to convince families to return to the pizzaria.

"It's a tragedy."

"It is indeed," I said after reading the last line. I scroll down further.

Local Pizzeria Threatened with Shutdown over Sanitation

Local Pizzeria, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza as been threatened with shutdown by the health department over reports of foul odor coming from the much-loved animal mascots.

Police were contacted when parents reportedly noticed mucus around the eyes and mouths of the mascots. One parent likened them to "reanimated carcasses."

"Yuck," I commented.

Local Pizzeria said to Close by Years End

After a long struggle to stay in business after the tragedy that took place there many years ago, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has announced that it will close by year's end.

Despite a year-long search for a buyer, companies seem unwilling to be associated with the company.

"Those characters will live on. In the hearts of kids - these characters will live on." ~CEO

I sat back heavily. "That… I didn't know that," I said faintly.

Ben looked at me as if I were stupid. "Really? It's been, like, the the urban legend of the city! How could you have never heard of it before?" He seemed to come to a realization. "You mentioned that this place was called 'Fazbear's Fright?' You know what? I bet the whole darn theme of the place is about the missing children incident!"

I shook my head and looked down onto my lap. "I never knew…"

Then, Ben grabbed my shoulder. "That's not the only part."

I groaned. "There's more ?"

I looked at his face. He seemed very worried. "This restaurant has always had a night guard. They say… they say that… they never are the same after… after they accept the job…"

At that, I started snickering. "You - you expect me to believe that?" I clapped a hand on his arm, that was still gripping me painfully. "You're kidding."

Then, I saw how sincere he looked. "Wait. You're not joking with me. You're actually concerned."

He looked away. Ben always was a worrier.

"Look. You don't have to worry yourself over me." He still looked troubled, so I said, "I'll tell you if something weird happens, okay?"

His throat bobbed up and down as he considered this. "Yeah. You do that," he said.

I chuckled and sat back. I bit into my apple, which had lain forgotten in my hand.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

A few minutes of light-hearted banter later, it was time for Ben to get back to work.

I got back into my car, and drove the way back home.

The revelations that had been made known bounced around my head. I had a few theories about where exactly those poor kids' bodies were. I have a feeling that you know what I'm talking about.

I didn't know what to think about the rumors of the night guard position. I shivered, but then I shook my head in exasperation. What on earth could 'change' me so drastically that I'd be a totally different person?

Absolutely nothing.

Right?

I pulled into my parking spot. I went back to my apartment, ready to waste the rest of the day.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Hours later, I was watching one of my favorite TV shows. It was an old thing, but I liked it anyways. I glanced down at my phone, lighting up the screen. It was 8:43. I sighed, and paused an episode. I should probably get some sleep before work.

I decided to do the responsible thing and go to bed. I set my alarm clock for eleven. I climb into my twin sized bed, the worries of the day melting away. Sooner rather than later, I fell asleep.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

My eyes cracked opened as my alarm clock beeped at me. I slapped my desk, missing the entire target. I tried again, and managed to turn it off.

I sat up, confused. Why was I waking up so early?

No, it was late. My job.

I heaved a heavy sigh. The guy on the phone hadn't specified what to wear, so I put on a white button down shirt and jeans. That should be good enough, right? Well, I'll find out soon enough.

I arrived at Fazbear's at about 11:55. I knocked on the front door, but silence greeted me. Baffled, and just a bit creeped out, I pushed the door inwards. It opened with an everloving creeeeak that echoed in the dark corridors.

I took a deep breath, taking in the hallway from my vantage point in the doorway. It was very spooky, a green tinge lighting everything up. There were various posters and drawings on the walls, all starring the four characters I presumed to be in the previous location. There was also a weird yellow bunny picture, but I paid that no mind as I explored the seemingly abandoned building.

The paint was peeling off the walls in most places, and there were some old arcade games lining the wall. I ran my finger over the multicolored controls, sighing when I realized that they were all turned off, or unplugged. Hey! You can't blame me for wondering if there were any fun things in that godforsaken place! There were also some models of the characters on the walls. There was a red fox head on the wall, a strange, open-mouthed brown bear and purplish blue bunny that had no legs or eyes. Creepy.

I turned another corner, and I ended up in a spacious office. It had a desk in the middle, with a huge window seeing out into the hallway. There were two old-fashioned computers sitting on the desk. One on the left, one on the right. There was an open vent next to the desk. The darkness of it seemed to be endless… ominous. Stop it. That's just Ben's dire predictions messing with your head.

I sat down in the swivel chair, spinning around and around, misgivings slowly melting away. What was I even afraid of? Is the big, bad fox gonna come get me? I asked myself, chuckling. Ahhh, this night would be great.

I noticed the old wired phone on the desk. There was a blinking red light on the message button, so I picked the ancient thing up.

"Hey hey, glad you came back for another night!" the voice chirped. It was the same person that had called me to begin with. And what did he mean by, 'another night?' This one was my first! Maybe this was a recording for an old night guard.

"I promise, it'll be a lot more interesting this time! We found some, some great new relics over the weekend, and we're out tracking down a new lead, right now!" Relics? What did that mean? Then, I remembered the strange things I saw in the hallways. Ah.

"So, uhhh, lemme just update you real quick, then you can get to work. Like, the attraction opens in like, a week, so we have to make sure everything works, and nothing catches on fire!" Wait, hold up. Catches on fire!?

"Uh, when the place opens, people will come in at the opposite end of the building, and work their way toward you, then past you and out the exit. Uh, yeah you've officially become part of the attraction. Uh, you'll be starring as… the security guard! So not only will you be monitoring the people on the camera as they pass through – you know, to make sure no one steals anything or makes out in the corner – but you'll also be a part of the show. It'll make it feel really authentic, I think." I was still stuck on the part of the building catching on fire. How was I supposed to prevent that?

"Uh, now lemme tell you about what's new. We found another set of drawings, always nice, and a Foxy head! Which we think could be authentic! Then again, it might just be another crappy cosplay. And we found a desk fan. Very old-school. Metal though. Watch the fingers, uh, ha." Ha, ha, indeed. I recalled the fox head I had seen mounted on the wall. That was probably this 'Foxy' he was talking about.

"Uh, right now the place is basically just, you know, flashing lights and spooky props. Uh, I honestly thought we'd have more by now. Uh, if we don't have something really cool by next week, we may have to suit you up in a furry suit and make you walk around saying 'boo!'. Heh-heh." I was really starting to hate this adolescent teen. Not like I was much further from being a teenager myself, but I surely wasn't this annoying. Right?

"Uh, but you know, like I said, we're trying to track down a good lead right now. Uh, some guy who helped design one of the buildings says there was like an extra room that got boarded up, or, uh, something like that. So we're gonna take a peek and see what we can find. Uh, for now just get comfortable with the new set up." New set up?

"Umm, you can check the security cameras over to your right with a click of that blue button." I spotted the button, and I clicked it. Sure enough, a grainy image of the hall I had just walked out of came into view. Finally, this phone dude was telling me something useful. I spotted something that said, 'Play Audio,' but I didn't touch it. "Uh, you can toggle between the hall cams and the vent cam." I clicked through the hallways and the vents. Why on earth would someone need a vent camera?

"Uh, then over to your far left, uh, you can flip up your maintenance panel. You know, use this to reboot any systems that may go offline." Offline? What? I flipped open the ancient laptop. Sure enough, in green letters, were system reboots.

"Uh-heh. Uh, in trying to make the place feel vintage we may have overdone it a bit, heh-heh. Some of this equipment is barely functional. Yeah, I- I wasn't joking about the fire that's- that's- that's a real risk. Uh, the most important thing you want to watch for is the ventilation." Oh. So that's how you prevent a fire. Keep the freakin' ventilation system booted up. Wow.

"Look, this place will give you the spooks, man, and if you let that ventilation go offline then you'll start seeing some crazy stuff, man. Keep that air flowing! Okay, keep an eye on things, and we'll try to have something new for you tomorrow night!" The message clicked off.

What did he mean by 'seeing crazy stuff?' Was he trying to spook me? Whether he was or not, I decided to keep an eye on the ventilation system in particular.

I let out a heavy breath. This place was very strange, and that was an understatement. I flipped through the cameras, taking in the layout of the building. I noted where the exits were, just in case.

I glanced down at my watch. Then, I had to look down more closely… because… I squinted. The clock read 5:30. Surely I couldn't have been here for more than an hour! But, the clock on the opposite wall confirmed that it was, indeed, 5:30. Actually, by then, it was 5:45. What on earth? Why were these clocks so fast?

At six, a minute or two later, I leaned back in my chair. That couldn't have been six hours. It felt more like thirty minutes! Just to be sure, I went out of my office and walked to the nearest window. Sure enough, the sun was just coming up! I must have fallen asleep, or something. I couldn't do that in the future. It was lucky that nothing had happened while I was out - I probably would've gotten fired again if that had happened.

I watched as the sun illuminated the fright attraction. It seemed a whole lot less ominous with lighting other than an acid green.

I started walking out of the front door, checking my pocket for my phone. Surprisingly, I hadn't taken it out once during the entire night! Suddenly, I felt a rush of fatigue, as if I had stayed awake all night. Huh.

I climbed into my car, weary. I ignited the engine, and started the drive home. As soon as I got back to my apartment, I collapsed on the couch in front of my television. I didn't even have the energy to make it to my bedroom.

I fell asleep before my head hit the cushion.


	2. Interlude

Anthony Carson was on a mission, for once. Usually, he was supposed to manage the calls for the new recruits at Fazbear's Fright, but he actually got to come on this trip! They said that they had found an old location… someplace called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. They were only going to look for some old relics, not like he was expecting anything big to happen, or anything.

Anthony followed his veteran coworkers to the front door, approaching the old, decrepit building. They had all been riding on a bus to the place. He practically jumped with joy as they cautiously opened the door.

It was practically a portal into a different world. Everything was dark, and there was a huge empty space in front of them. Anthony presumed that to be the dining area. They all tiptoed in. It felt like they were walking into a morgue, they were so silent. He glanced to his right, and backwards. Oh!

The stage.

Then, it seemed to hit him again.

He was actually in a Freddy Fazbear's location.

A thrill of excitement went through him again. Even though the whole building seemed to be empty, a shell of what it used to be, the sensation of delightful danger coursed through his body. Or maybe it was the urban legends surrounding this place that was making him feel that way.

"All right," someone then said, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to him. It was the leader of that expedition - Anthony hadn't bothered to learn his name. "We'll be splitting up to search the entire building. You-" he pointed to someone- "check backstage." He continued to assign people to different locations, until he finally got to Anthony, and a group of others.

"You three," the man said. "You take some of the axes we brought, and go break down the boards guarding the safe room." As they were walking away to retrieve the needed supplies, he heard him mutter, "Why they'd need a safe room here is beyond me."

After they had come back from the van with what they needed, they made two sharp left turns towards the safe room, ignoring the two bathrooms. Silently, they hefted their axes and began chopping away at the boards blocking the door.

Eventually, and with no small amount of sweat, they had broken down all of the planks. Man, they had definitely built these things to last.

The person to his right stretched out a hand to open the door that was then revealed. It swung open, presenting an ominous, black void. They couldn't see anything, other than the few feet of tiled floor in front of them.

The men beside him glanced around nervously. There was a moment of silence, until someone said, "One, two, three - not it!"

"Not it!" the other guy yelped a split second later, somewhat frantically.

Anthony was the only person that had said 'not it'. He realized that he had probably backed himself into a corner, figuratively, of course.

They both had turned to look at him. "Dude," left guy said, "You have to do it."

Anthony sighed. "Okay," he drawled, trying to mask how frightened he was. He fished for his flashlight out of his back pocket, but he couldn't find it. Right guy handed him a flashlight silently. It was as if they were sending him to his death.

He pretended his hands weren't shaking as he clicked the light on. He took one step into the black abyss. He waved it around the room, taking in the three huge, antique gaming systems in the back left corner. There were some really old posters and drawings depicting the old characters of the time. He lowered his flashlight, and stopped.

There was some odd, dried brownish substance on the wall and floor. He slowly followed that trail with his flashlight, his whole body shaking with the stress of the whole situation.

What he saw made him jump in fright, taking in a deep gasp. He then calmed down, chuckling at himself for the overreaction.

"What! What is it?!" right guy cried behind him. They hadn't seen what he had.

Anthony silently beckoned them inside, his old excitement starting to creep back into his veins. Did he just… did he just uncover a real one ?

He heard the others come beside him. They both inhaled sharply at the sight presented to them. It was a gruesome one, but it was exhilarating all the same. This would give his company very good publicity!

He turned to look at his comrades. They didn't look too thrilled, to Anthony's surprise. This was exciting! "We have to tell everyone about this."


End file.
